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intonate

[in-toh-neyt, -tuh-]
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verb (used with object), in·to·nat·ed, in·to·nat·ing.
  1. to utter with a particular tone or modulation of voice.
  2. to intone; chant.
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Origin of intonate

1785–95; < Medieval Latin intonātus, past participle of intonāre to intone. See -ate1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

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British Dictionary definitions for intonate

intonate

verb (tr)
  1. to pronounce or articulate (continuous connected speech) with a characteristic rise and fall of the voice
  2. a less common word for intone
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for intonate

v.

1795, from Medieval Latin intonatus, past participle of intonare (see intone) + -ate (2). Cf. Italian intonare, French entonner. Related: Intonated; intonating.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper